Saturday's Prairie Meadows Picks

by Jerry Shottenkirk

July 7, 2017

The huge week of racing at Prairie Meadows continues as the Altoona, Iowa, track on Saturday hosts the Grade 3 $300,000 Prairie Meadows Cornhusker Handicap and the $100,000 Iowa Sprint Handicap. It’s already been a solid group of races as on Thursday the Doug O’Neill-trained and Kyle Frey-ridden Shane’s Girlfriend posted a 2 1-4-length win in the Grade 3 $200,000 Iowa Oaks. On the same card, the Iowa-bred Dreamin scored a one-length win over I’m a Looker and other quality shippers in the $100,000 Saylorville Stakes. Ramon Vazquez had the ride on the Federico Villafranco-trained charge.

The Cornhusker, which was a neighborly respect as Prairie Meadows brought it over from Ak-Sar-Ben in Omaha when it closed in the mid-1990s.

Dolphus is the deserving favorite after a huge effort against heavy chalk Shaman Ghost in the Pimlico Special. Trainer Jimmy Jerkens has done a bang-up job in the development of the Looking At Lucky colt. Even in defeat, the Pimlico Special was by far the best effort for Dolphus. Rajiv Maragh is in for the ride and Dolphus is ready to take his customary position on the front end. He’ll have to make it nine furlongs. He went 1 3-16th miles at Pimlico.

Dolphus set a moderate pace at Pimlico and likely will have more early company. In fact, six of the nine entrants prefer to be on or close to the lead. The pace should set it up for Hawaakom, who at 45-1 was fourth behind Gun Runner in the Grade 1 Stephen Foster at Churchill. Trainer Wesley Hawley has the veteran running well and he has a legit chance to mow them down.

Here’s a Suggested Play for the Cornhusker:

Win Play: Hawaakom

Exotic Plays: Box Hawaakom and Dolphus in Exactas and use each in the first two spots of Trifectas and Superfectas coupled with Shotgun Cowboy, Conquest Windycity, Texas Chrome and Iron Fist

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3.16.2018

Since 2010, Bob Baffert trainees have won six of the eight editions of Oaklawn’s Rebel Stakes, and he’s favored to win another on Sunday as Solomini heads into the 1 1-16th race as the 3-2 morning line favorite.
Baffert’s Rebel dominance began with Lookin At Lucky (2010) and continued with The Factor (2011), Secret Circle (2012), Hoppertunity (2014), American Pharoah (2015) and Cupid (2016). The good news for rival operations is that only American Pharoah from that list went on to win the Arkansas Derby. Bodemeister won in 2012 without winning the Rebel.
What makes the Rebel so targeted is that is has a $900,000 purse, in addition to being a prep for the Arkansas Derby.
The Rebel anchors the Pick 4, and when you’ll play it, you’ll decide whether to single Solomini. On this selected ticket, he is not. The single on this card comes on the other end with Mitole. He was upset as the 2-to-5 favorite in the by Bourne in Nixa but should be able to made amends for trainer Asmussen. Should Mitole bomb in the optional claimer race, there’s plenty of time for you to make up for it, especially with a Pick 3 to close out the card.
Solomini is the deserving favorite. He’s 1 of 4 but two of his three losses were in Grade 1 race. The Curlin colt hasn’t start since Dec. 9, when he was first under the wire but was disqualified and placed third in Los Alamitos Cash Call Futurity.
Title Ready won an allowance race at Oaklawn in his only two-turn attempt and the More Than Ready colt from the Asmussen barn moves into the stakes ranks for the first time. He was ineffective in sprints and is only getting better with distance. Another Asmussen charge – Combatant – also is worthy of a spot on the Pick 4 ticket. The Scat Daddy colt was second in the Smarty Jones and G3 Southwest and he has an adjustable running style.
Here’s the suggested Pick 4 ticket:
Race 7: #9 Mitole.
Race 8: #2 Hedge Fund, #4 Untrapped, #5 Dazzling Gem, #11 Multiplier.
Race 9: #1 Actress, #2 Farrell, #3 Terra Promessa, #4 Tiger Moth, #7 Martini Glass, #8 Blue Prize.
Race 10: #1 Title Ready, #3 Solomini, #10 Combatant.
50-cent Pick 4: 9 with 2-4-5-11 with 1-2-3-4-7-8 with 1-3-10 ($36).

3.2.2018

As far as maiden wins go, Good Magic’s had style that is just difficult to top.E Five Racing and Stonestreet’s Curlin colt made his 3rd career start in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile and came away with a 4 1-4-length win. As far as timing goes, that was perfect for a first victory.Good Magic starts his 2018 campaign today in the Grade 2 $400,000 Xpressbet Fountain of Youth Stakes at Gulfstream Park. The race anchors the late Pick 4, which has 0% Takeout for Xpressbet players.Trainer Chad Brown always has a plan, and through a series of works has Good Magic ready for his return. He’s the 7-to-5 morning line favorite in a talented lineup. Good Magic lost his debut in a maiden race at Saratoga but showed enough run to put him in the Grade 1 Champagne, and he responded with a second-place finish behind Firenze Fire. The Breeders’ Cup Juvenile marked his 1st two-turn attempt and he passed the test in flying colors. He scored an 11-1 upset and in a matter of months after his first start recovered the $1 million investment his owners forwarded in the Keeneland September sale of 2016.If there’s a time to take a chance against Good Magic, this could be it. It’s his first since November and he has plenty of capable competition today. But leaving him off your Pick 4 ticket will take a level of courage I, personally, can’t come up with today.The most interesting of those is Strike Power, a Courtlandt Farms homebred with two very sharp wins in as many starts. He broke his maiden two days before Christmas as he ran off to an easy eight-length triump in 1:02 3-5 for 5.5 furlongs. He went right to graded stakes company and responded on Feb. 3 with a 2 3-4-length win as the 4-to-5 favorite in the G3 Swale. Trainer Mark Hennig sends the Speightstown colt around two turns for the first time and is will be great drama to see to him if he can take his obvious speed and hold it together for 1 1-16th miles.Another set for an interesting run if Free Drop Billy, who was second but was no match for Audible in the G2 Holy Bull here on Feb. 3. He couldn’t come close to catching Audible but was nearly eight lengths of the third-place horse. It was his first since the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, which provided the only blemish on his otherwise impressive form. It wasn’t his day as he gave way early on and finished ninth.Here’s the suggested Pick 4 ticket:
Race 11: #1 Personal Time, #9 Travelling MidasRace 12: #1 Extravagant Kid, #6 Favorable OutcomeRace 13: #1 Sadler’s Joy, #3 One Go All Go, #6 Gold Shield, #7 Bernay, #12 Oscar NominatedRace 14: #2 Free Drop Billy, #4 Strike Power, #6 Good Magic, #8 Marconi50-cent Pick 4: 1-9 with 1-6 with 1-3-6-7-12 with 1-4-6-8 ($40).